The following invention relates to a system and method for improving the efficiency of a manufacturing process and, in particular, to a system and method that enables manufacturers to efficiently select and use materials in a manufacturing process.
The manufacture of goods generally requires the selection of suitable materials and knowledge of a process for converting the materials into the desired goods. For example, the manufacturing of integrated circuits requires the manufacturer to select the appropriate wafers and chemicals and process the wafers using the chemicals in a manner that produces the desired integrated circuits. A challenge in most manufacturing processes is to select the type and quantity of materials so as to minimize the resulting cost of the manufactured goods. This is especially the case in situations, such as the manufacturer of integrated circuits, where the cost of the materials is a significant percentage of the overall cost of the final product. In these situations, any materials wasted would cause the cost-per-unit-manufactured to become unacceptably high.
In many manufacturing processes, the responsibility of selecting the appropriate type and quantity of materials rests on the manufacturer. For example, if a manufacturer desires to produce integrated circuits, then the manufacturer must determine which wafers and chemicals it requires, and in what quantity, as well as determine the optimal manufacturing process that should be used. In many cases, however, it is the materials provider and not the manufacturer that knows which are the best materials to use and what are the latest and most efficient processing techniques. As a result, the manufacturer either may resort to trial and error to optimize the manufacturing process or use a non-optimal process. In either case, materials are wasted resulting in an increase in the cost-per-goods produced.
Furthermore, in many instances, the materials providers are adversely affected by a manufacturer's incorrect selection and inefficient use of materials. First, if the manufacturer orders from a materials provider the incorrect materials for a certain manufacturing process, the material provider will often have to bear at least a part of the cost of providing the proper materials to the manufacturer in order to maintain goods customer relations. Also, to reduce the cost of the manufactured products, the manufacturer often tries to reduce the amount of materials used which necessarily results in decreased revenues to the material providers. Thus, the improper and inefficient use of materials in a manufacturing process results in an increased cost-per-unit-manufactured as well as adversely impacting the revenue stream that materials provider receive from the sale of materials.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method that enables manufacturers to efficiently select and use materials in a manufacturing process and that also stabilizes the material costs associated with the manufactured goods.